Winnipeg Willow and Manitoba Merv predict early spring

Two of Manitoba's famous nose-to-the-ground weather forecasters say spring will come early this year.

Winnipeg Willow, a groundhog who was found orphaned and with a broken leg and who now makes her home at the Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, said Sunday the warmer weather will hit sooner rather than later.

Willow made the prognostication at Fort Whyte Alive.

She laid cuddled in an associate's arms while the PWRC's Melanie Ives spoke on her behalf.

"Today, Feb 2, 2014, Willow did not see her shadow," she said. "Therefore, she predicted an early spring."

Merv, who is even less animated than Willow [he's a puppet], did not see his shadow Sunday morning either, and is already looking forward to the return of Canada geese, another sign of winter's departure.